Stay Tuned: Food and life on ‘Jacques Pepin-The Art of Craft’

Tuesday

May 23, 2017 at 11:04 AMMay 23, 2017 at 11:11 AM

Melissa Crawley More Content Now

The upcoming American Masters episode featuring acclaimed chef Jacques Pepin begins with a thought from chef Anthony Bourdain: “I believe that before you have sex with another human being, you should be capable of preparing them an omelet to Jacques Pepin’s standards the next morning. Wouldn’t the world be a better place, a nicer place?” I’m guessing it couldn’t hurt but what I do know is that “Jacques Pepin: The Art of Craft” is an entertaining look at the man who revolutionized American cuisine one cooking technique at a time.

Pepin is known for his focus on manual dexterity in the kitchen and for the standards he set in terms of how ingredients should be handled. Technique matters, an idea he learned as a young chef working at Plaza Athenee, a Parisian five-star hotel and temple to gastronomy. In his early 20’s, Pepin was hired as the chef for France’s version of the White House, where he expertly prepared classical French cuisine for heads of state. He recalls that moving to America at age 23 was an eye-opening experience regarding food culture. In a grocery store one day, he asked an employee where the mushrooms were and was directed to the canned food aisle.

Pepin has a straightforward kind of charm when he speaks and his memories add much to the documentary, which combines archival footage, private home movies and interviews with current celebrity chefs who gush over his impact on their professional development. His influence on America’s home cooks is equally impressive. Despite being trained in classical French food, Pepin was not a culinary snob when he emigrated. He saw what American food could be if people learned to appreciate how to cook, not just what to cook.

The episode traces Pepin’s rise to fame in the United States as he opens a soup only restaurant in New York City, writes a cookbook without recipes that is today considered a bible of technique and goes on the road performing cooking demonstrations. His professional journey formed the cornerstone of a new cooking movement in the United States. He has written nearly 30 books and has had 14 cooking shows across his career.

But at the heart of Pepin’s culinary achievements is an appreciation for the connections between food and life. He says that his life was forever changed at age 6 when a farmer’s wife, who was sheltering him from the harsh conditions of World War II ravaged France, gave him fresh milk to drink. The milk symbolized security, a home, a form of love, a version of family for a child who was separated from his own. It’s a touching memory and a thoughtful insight from a chef who made his name on valuing technique. The episode ends with a scene of Pepin, now 80, sharing a meal with his family. He says he is frequently asked what his last meal would be and he doesn’t know but it would certainly be “a very, very, very long one.”

“Jacques Pepin: The Art of Craft” premieres on Friday, May 26 at 9 p.m. EDT on PBS.

-- Melissa Crawley is the author of “Mr. Sorkin Goes to Washington: Shaping the President on Television’s ‘The West Wing’” and the recently released “The American Television Critic.” She has a Ph.D. in media studies and is a member of the Television Critics Association. To comment on Stay Tuned, email her at staytuned@outlook.com or follow her on Twitter at @MelissaCrawley.